Dual-use container and methods of reusing same

ABSTRACT

A dual-use product package includes a non-food product, a non-rigid base defining a cavity holding the non-food product, a cover configured to close the cavity, and a closure member fastening the cover to the base. The base is adapted to contain food products once the non-food product is removed from the cavity. Methods of reusing the dual use container include packing a non-food item in the cavity, presenting the dual-use container in combination with the non-food item packed therein at a point of purchase, and configuring the dual use container to be reusable such that a purchaser of the dual use container in combination with the non-food item is able to remove the non-food item without damaging or destroying the dual-use container and repack the dual-use container with a food item. The method may be tailored to appeal to a wide variety of customers and to promote a wide variety of goods and services.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLCATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/535,728 filed Jan. 9, 2004, the complete subject matter of whichis which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to product packaging, and, moreparticularly, to product packaging having independent use apart frompackaging the product.

Often, product packaging serves little purpose to a consumer after theproduct is removed from the packaging. Product packaging, therefore, isordinarily discarded by consumers. Accordingly, a great deal of waste isattributable to product packaging. Some product packaging, such as, forexample, shoe boxes, may be used for other purposes after footwear hasbeen removed from the boxes, although at least a significant portion ofshoe boxes are immediately discarded by consumers.

Conventionally, footwear has been packaged in cardboard shoe boxes, andthe shoe boxes include a rectangular base for holding footwear and aremovable lid having downwardly depending sides which are received overthe side walls of the base. The cardboard is relatively rigid, whichallows multiple boxes to be stacked upon one another in a store orretail outlet display shelf or storage area. The lid is not fastened tothe base but simply rests upon it so that the footwear may be readilyaccessed for inspection or a trial fit with a prospective purchaser.

Because of their sturdy construction, shoe boxes have sometimes beenused as stackable storage boxes and organizers for papers and a host ofother items by children and adults. Cardboard shoe boxes, however, werenot designed for this type of use, and if they are handled regularly,they easily wear out. Also, because the lid of a shoe box is notfastened or otherwise secured to the base, contents in the box may beinadvertently exposed or spilled from the box as it is handled. Whilethe lid may be taped to the sides of the base to avoid this problem,applying tape to the lid can be inconvenient, and removal of the tapetends to tear the sides of the base and/or the lid, thereby acceleratingits demise. Furthermore, conventional shoe boxes typically lack acarrying handle and are therefore inconvenient to transport from placeto place.

On another note, innovative product packaging often positively affectsthe desirability of a product to consumers. Footwear, for example, hasbeen sold in cardboard boxes for such a long time that it is believedthat the public has grown weary of them. For footwear manufacturers,conventional shoe packaging in cardboard boxes presents littleopportunity to distinguish their products from other manufacturers.

It would be desirable to provide alternative product packaging whichavoids these and other disadvantages for products such as footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to an exemplary embodiment, a dual-use product package isprovided. The package comprises a non-food product, a non-rigid basedefining a cavity holding the non-food product, the non-rigid base beingadapted to contain food products once the non-food product is removedfrom the cavity, a cover configured to close the cavity; and a closuremember fastening the cover to the base.

Optionally, the base is soft-sided, and the closure member comprises azipper mechanism located at or near a top edge of the base. The covermay be integrally formed with the base, and the cover may be folded overthe base in a closed position. The cavity is adapted for use as alunchbox after the product is unpacked, and the package may include anexpandable section configured to hold another non-food product differentfrom the non-food product in the cavity. The package may be convertibleinto a duffel bag.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a footwear package comprisesa support surface and a plurality of soft side walls extending from thesupport surface and defining a cavity for holding footwear above thesupport surface. At least one of the side walls comprises a flap foldedover the remaining side walls to define a cover over the cavity, and azipper is provided for selectively coupling and uncoupling the flap andthe remaining side walls.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method of reusing afootwear package having a base defining a cavity, footwear in thecavity, a cover enclosing the footwear in the cavity, and a zipperengaging the base to the cover is provided. The method comprisesunpacking the footwear from the package, and packing at least one lunchitem in the package.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of reusing a footwearpackage is provided. The method comprises packaging footwear in alunchbox.

In still another aspect of the invention, a method for selling anon-food item in combination with a dual-use container, is provided. Themethod comprises providing a dual-use container having a storage cavityconfigured to hold one of a predetermined non-food item and a food item,packing a non-food item in the cavity; and presenting the dual-usecontainer with the non-food item packed therein at a point of purchase,wherein a purchaser of the dual use container with the non-food item isable to remove the non-food item and repack the dual use container witha food item.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, a method for selling a non-fooditem in combination with a dual-use container is provided. The methodcomprises providing a dual-use container having a storage cavityconfigured to hold separately a non-food item and a food item one at atime, packing a non-food item in the cavity, presenting the dual-usecontainer in combination with the non-food item packed therein at apoint of purchase, and configuring the dual use container to be reusablesuch that a purchaser of the dual use container in combination with thenon-food item is able to remove the non-food item without damaging ordestroying the dual-use container and repack the dual-use container witha food item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a footwear package according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the footwear package shown in FIG. 1opened and ready for use.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the package shown in FIG. 2 packed withfootwear.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the package shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 packedwith lunch items.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of a footwear package inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dual-use product package 10 accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the invention which may be used to packagea non-food product and a food product for transportation and storagetherein. As used herein, the terms “food product” or “food item” refernot only to edible food and beverage items, but also complementary itemscommonly used in conjunction therewith when eating such food andbeverage items, including but not limited to beverage holders (e.g., athermos container, glass, cup or can) and eating utensils, plates andflatware, napkins, salt and pepper shakers, condiments, food warmers,cooling blocks or ice-packs, etc used to prepare, preserve, and aid inthe consumption and presentation of edible foods. The food products alsoinclude prepackaged food such as LUNCHABLES® packaged meal combinationsof Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc., prepackaged juice products, sippy cups,baby bottles and the like.

The terms “non-food product” or “food item” as used herein includes anyand all items which are not food products or food items, including butnot limited to footwear, books, magazines and periodicals, clothingrelated items (e.g., shirts, gloves, socks, hats and stocking caps), toyrelated items (e.g., toys, dolls, cars, action figures, crayons andcoloring books), game-related items (e.g., cards, board games, videogames, and game accessories), sports-related items (e.g., balls, gloves,caps, posters and trading cards), entertainment-related items (e.g.,music, compact discs, cassettes, dvd's, movies, and multimediaproducts), and infant care-related items (e.g., diapers, formulas,lotion and the like).

As will be explained below, the package 10, in addition to capablypackaging non-food products for point of purchase displays and sale, thepackage 10 is designed for other purposes than non-food product storageor transportation. As such, the package 10 is believed to be desirableto consumers apart from the associated product and presents distinctivepackaging options that may present a welcome change to weary consumersin product areas typically presented for sale in traditional paper orcardboard packaging.

While in one embodiment, the package 10 is well suited for packaging ofa non-food product, as described below, the description hereinbelow isset forth as only one example of potential product packaging which maybenefit from the inventive concepts described below. The descriptionherein is therefore set forth for illustrative purposes only, and theinvention is not intended to be restricted to any particular type ofnon-food product, such as footwear products.

In an exemplary embodiment, the package 10 includes a base 12 and acover 14 secured to the base. The base 12 includes a bottom supportsurface 16 and four side walls 18 which collectively define a cavity(not shown in FIG. 1) in which a non-food product (e.g., footwear) maybe contained at, for example, a point of purchase display. The cover 14is secured to the base 12 with a known closure member, such as a zippermechanism 20, which extends along upper edges of three of the side walls18 and corresponding side edges 22 of the cover 14. A carrying handle 24is affixed to one of the base side walls 18 for convenient transport ofthe package 10.

In an exemplary embodiment, the base 12 and the cover 14 are fabricatedfrom nylon, canvas, cloth, or other suitable material to form anon-rigid or soft sided, yet structurally sufficient package relative tocomparatively rigid cardboard and paper materials conventionally used innon-food product packaging, and especially in comparison to knownplastic and metallic materials conventionally used in hard-shell caseconstruction. By employing nylon, canvas, cloth, or another non-rigidmaterial to fabricate a soft shell package 10, a lightweight yet verydurable package may be provided in a comparatively low costconstruction. Additionally, a user friendly zipper mechanism 20 is wellsuited for a soft sided construction of the package 10. Bulky anddifficult to use mechanical closure elements to securely close the cover14 may therefore be avoided. Alternatively, other known closure membersmay be employed, including but not limited to Velcro fasteners, snaps,drawstrings, and other closure systems appreciated by those in the art.The package 10 may be liquid impermeable in one embodiment, and thecover 14 may be joined to the base 12 in a liquid impermeable manner toform a seal therebetween.

Stiffening elements (not shown), such as wire frame elements and thelike, may be provided to maintain a desired shape of the cover 14, thebase support surface 16, and/or the side walls 18 as desired or asnecessary for added strength and rigidity of the package 10. Graphicsand multiple colors may be employed on any of the outer surfaces of thepackage 10, and the shape of the package 10 may be varied to createdistinctly different visual appearances of the package 10.

In an exemplary embodiment, the carrying handle 24 is fabricated from anylon, canvas or other pliable material and is stitched to one of theside walls 24 of the base 12. Metallic fastening elements, such asscrews, are therefore avoided along with their associated expense andassembly challenges. Like the rest of the package, the handle 24 mayinclude stiffening frame elements to ensure a particular shape of thehandle 24, graphics and colors may be employed in the handle 24, and thehandle may be fabricated into a variety of shapes in various embodimentsto change the visual appearance of the package 10. While the illustratedembodiment of the package 10 includes one handle 24, more than onehandle 24 be could provided for transport in more than one orientationwhen gripped by a user. Alternatively, the handle 24 may be moved toanother location on the package 10 for another mode of transport whengripped by a user.

In an exemplary embodiment, the package includes indicia 26 which invarious embodiments may be indicia identifying a source of a non-fooditem, which may be the same as the non-food item sold in the package 10.Alternatively, the indicia 26 could indicate the source of a food itemwhich may be stored or transported in the package 10 at a later time.The indicia 26 may include brand names, business names, trademarks,logos or other indicia to promote particular products or services.Additionally, the indicia 26 may be unrelated to either the non-fooditem sold in the package 10 or food-items which may be used therewith,but the indicia may identify, for example, a sports team, a cartooncharacter, an entertainment event, an entertainment figure or a movie.Thus, package themes and promotion of related and unrelated items andservices may be graphically promoted on one or more of the outersurfaces of the package 10, including the top and bottom surfaces, andthe side surfaces which connect the top and the bottom. Graphics andindicia may be transferred printed, or otherwise applied to the packagein a known manner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the package 10 with the zipper mechanism20 (shown in FIG. 1) actuated to uncouple the cover 14 from three sidewalls 18 of the base 12. The cover 14 is hingedly attached to theremaining side wall (i.e., the fourth side wall 18 of the base 12) alonga top edge 32 thereof. The cover 14 is rotated about an axis 30coincident with the top edge 32 in a direction of arrow A to an openedposition wherein the cavity 34 of the base 12 is exposed for packagingof a product (not shown in FIG. 2) above the bottom support surface 36of the base 12.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cover 14 is integrally formed with therear side wall 18 along the top edge 32, and the cover 14 is folded overthe top edge 32 to the closed position shown in FIG. 1. The integralfolding construction of the cover 14 with one of the side walls 18 is afurther benefit of the soft shell or soft sided construction of thepackage 10. Mechanical fasteners, hinge elements and/or or pivotalmounts are avoided, together with their associated cost, whilenonetheless reliably securing the cover 14 to the base 12 and whileachieving a hinge action of the cover 14 relative to the base 10.Additionally, as the cover 14 is permanently attached to the base 12 inthis construction, the cover 14 may not be inadvertently separated fromthe base 12, or possibly even lost, when the package 10 is in use.

The cover 14 is therefore fixedly attached to the base 12 along the topedge 32, while the remaining side walls may be secured to the cover 14with the zipper mechanism 20 (shown in FIG. 1) when the cover 14 isrotated about the axis 30 in the direction of arrow B back to the closedposition shown in FIG. 1. The cover 14 may therefore be effectivelysecured to the base 12 along each of the side walls of the base 12 tosecurely enclose the cavity 34 when a non-food product, such asfootwear, is placed therein. Inadvertent exposure or spillage of theproduct from the base 12 is therefore avoided.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the package 10 packed with a non-foodproduct such as footwear 40. In an exemplary embodiment, the footwear 40is a pair of tennis shoes, although it is appreciated that any type ofshoe or footwear for children or adults, or also a non-footwear product,could be employed in another embodiment of the invention. Packingmaterial 42, such as known packing paper 42, is provided around thefootwear 40 to protect the footwear 40 and prevent movement of thefootwear 40 relative to the base 12 when the package 10 is closed asshown in FIG. 1 and carried with the carrying handle 24. Additionally,the packing material 42 facilitates stacking of multiple packages 10upon one another in for example, a point of purchase display. Othertypes of packing material familiar to those in the art may be used inlieu of paper packing material in alternative embodiments of theinvention.

It is contemplated that the package 10 could be sold in combination withother items. For example, a toy-related item (e.g., an action figure ordoll) could be sold with the toy outside the package 10, while othertoy-related items (e.g., action figure or doll accessories) may bepacked in the package 10. Thus, the action figure could be prominentlyfeatured in a point of purchase display in a separate container whichincludes the package 10. In such an embodiment, when not in use with thetoy-related items, the package 10 could be used as a lunchbox. Asanother example, the package 10 could be packed with a non-food item(e.g., footwear) and sold with an unrelated item (e.g., a toy) whereinthe toy is a prominent feature of the point of purchase presentation andthe package 10 is a secondary or ancillary feature of the packagedcombination.

For the reasons described above, the package 10 therefore provides adistinctive appearance and a convenient carrying case for a non-foodproduct such as the footwear 40 in a lightweight, durable, and secureconstruction. An added benefit of this lightweight, durable and secureconstruction, however, is that the package 10 may capably serve forstowing or transporting other items, such as food products once theproduct (e.g. footwear) 40 is unpacked from the package 10.

By way of example, FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the package 10 loadedwith food product, and more specifically lunch items. In an illustrativeembodiment, and as shown in FIG. 4, the lunch items includes as athermos 50, a wrapped sandwich, a pack of crackers 54, a pack of cookies56, a banana 58 and an apple 60. It is understood that the lunch itemscould alternatively include a variety of edible food products, beverageand snack items customary to dietary and eating habits of a particularconsumer, as well as condiments, napkins, utensils etc. which ordinarilyaccompany a prepared lunch meal or snack. The lunch items may be securedin the package 10 with little risk of exposure or spillage of the lunchitems from the package, and the zipper mechanism 20 provides easy accessto the cavity 34 for packing and unpacking of lunch items.

The base 12 and the cover 14, in one embodiment, are fabricated fromknown insulative materials, or other wise include insulative padding orfeatures, which permit the base 12 and cover 14 to function as a coolerwhen loaded with food or beverage items. Thus, a meal or snack may bemaintained in a hot or cold condition for some period of time forconvenience by the user.

Thus, in the foregoing exemplary embodiment, the package 10 may capablyserve as a lunchbox for convenient use of footwear purchasers after thefootwear is removed therefrom. The zipper mechanism 20 and the softsided construction of the package 10 make a user friendly package 10 forfood products forming school lunches, work lunches, picnics, etc. andwhen appropriate colors and graphics are included on the package 10, thepackage 10 may serve as a distinctive and attractive lunchbox forchildren and adults alike.

Appropriate modifications, such as dividers, tie down straps, etc, maybe provided in the cavity 34 of the lunchbox 10 to make the package 10more amenable for use as a lunchbox. Additionally, identification tagsand other accessories may be provided in further and/or alternativeembodiments of the invention, and such modifications and accessories maybe sold at the point of purchase of the non-food product (e.g.,footwear), either separately or together with the footwear package 10.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of a product package 100 inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Similar to thepackage 10 (shown in FIGS. 1-4), the package 100 includes a base 12having a bottom support surface 16 and side walls 18 which define acavity (not shown in FIG. 5) in which a non-food product, including butnot limited to footwear, may be accommodated.

An expandable section 102 is integrated into the bottom support surface16 of the base 12 and includes side walls 104 which are secured to thebottom surface 16 at one end thereof and a bottom wall 106 connectingthe side walls 104. The expandable section 102 may be fabricated fromnylon, canvas, cloth, or other suitable material familiar to those inthe art. A handle element 106 (shown in phantom in FIG. 5) may beprovided on the expandable section 106 to provide a carrying positionwhen the expandable section 102 is expanded from the bottom wall. Whennot in use, the expandable section may be folded, arranged, or otherwisetucked into the bottom supporting surface 16 of the base 12 in a knownmanner. When not expanded, the expandable section 102 is substantiallytransparent, or not visible, to the casual observer and the package 100looks substantially similar to the package 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2.

Access to the expandable section may be provided through the bottomsupport surface 16 of the base, the side walls 104 or the bottom wall106 in a known manner such as, for example, with a zipper mechanism,Velcro straps and the like as those in the art may appreciate. Theexpandable section 102 defines an enlarged cavity between the side walls104 and the bottom wall 106 for stowage and transport of additionalitems. For example, in one contemplated embodiment, the expandablesection 102 is extendible from the base 12 to convert the base 12 into aduffel bag.

In a duffel bag configuration, the expandable section 102 mayaccommodate a work-out suit, a towel and small toiletries to be stowedand transported by a user, in addition to a food-product or a non-foodproduct as explained above As such, aside from product packaging, thepackage 100 may be used as a lunchbox on certain days and as a workoutbag on other days, or a combination lunchbox/duffel bag. For example,footwear originally contained in the package 100, and/or other non-fooditems may be packed into the expandable section 102 and food-itemspacked in the base 12 of the package 100 as described above. As anotherexample, the expandable section 102 may include a swimsuit, a towel,suntan lotion, etc., and the base 12 may be used as a lunchbox for apleasurable afternoon excursion to the beach or to the pool.

In a further embodiment, the expandable section 102 may be fabricatedfrom an insulative material or materials and serve as an expandedcapacity cooler for hiking, camping, boating, or other outdooractivities.

In still other embodiments, the expandable section 102 may be configuredas a shopping bag which may include other purchase items in a retailenvironment. Thus, for example, if a consumer wishes to purchase a pairof shoes and a shirt, the shirt could be placed in the expandablesection 102 during checkout and the consumer could exit the store withthe package 100 including both the shoes and the shirt. Graphics may beprinted or otherwise placed on the packaging with names, logos,trademarks or other indicia of interest for either the product purchasedor the retailer from whom it was purchased.

While several example configurations have been discussed for theexpandable section 102, it is noted that these are intended only asexamples. Other configurations are possible which are encompassed by thescope and spirit of the present invention.

Distinctive dual-use product packages 10 and 100 are therefore providedin a lightweight, totable form. After the non-food product (e.g.,footwear) is unpacked, the durable package 10 or 100 is suitable foreveryday use, such as a lunchbox for storing and transporting foodproducts, a duffel bag for carrying other items in addition to foodproducts, or other purposes which complement the non-food product soldin the package. For example, golf shoes could be sold in the package 100wherein the expandable section is configured to hold golf balls, tees,scorecards, etc. Hiking boots could be sold in a package with anexpandable section configured to hold hiking gear. Baseball cleats couldbe sold in such packages with the expandable section configured to holda baseball glove, a batting glove and a baseball. Such complementaryproducts could be sold together with the applicable footwear product, orpurchased separately by consumers as desired. Countless other productsmay be sold in such packages 10 or 100 with a variety of products,included but not limited to footwear products.

Waste is therefore avoided with innovative product packaging which maybe desirably used for other purposes use once the product is unpacked,such as in the lunchbox example. The foregoing product packages mayfurther complement the use and enjoyability of the product by stowingand toting the product along with other complementary items needed foran activity which entails use of the product, such as the foregoingfootwear examples.

Optionally, the base 12 and/or cover 14 may be constructed of a rigidmaterial (e.g., metal or plastic) and the cover 14 may be entirelyremovable from the base 12. Moreover, the cover 14 may be secured to thebase 12 by a fastener other than a zipper, including but not limited toVelcro fasteners, snap-on sealed interfaces, snaps, and the like. Thecover 14 may be attached to the base 12 at one point via, for example, anylon or plastic strap, or a mechanical hinge, such as a metal hingeelement.

The packages 10 and 100 lend themselves to innovative branding, sellingand promotion for wide variety of products and services for mass appealto different groups of consumers. Am exemplary method for selling anon-food item in combination with a dual-use container includesproviding a dual-use container (e.g., the containers 10 or 100 describedabove) having a storage cavity configured to hold separately a non-fooditem and a food item one at a time. A non-food item (e.g., clothing,footwear, a toy-related item, a sports-related item, a book, a magazine,a game-related item, an entertainment-related item, or an infantcare-related item) is packed in the cavity, for example, by closing theaforementioned zipper connecting the cover and a base of the dual-usecontainer, and the dual-use container is presented in combination withthe non-food item packed therein at a point of purchase. For the reasonsexplained above, the dual-use container is configured to be reusablesuch that a purchaser of the dual use container in combination with thenon-food item is able to remove the non-food item without damaging ordestroying the dual-use container and repack the dual-use container witha food item. The food-item may constitute an edible food item, abeverage, a beverage holder, utensils, plates, flatware, napkins,condiments, a food warmer, a cooling block, etc.

By providing indicia on the dual use container, commercial sources of anon-food item and/or a food item may be indicated. Additionally, indiciaprovided on the dual use container may identify, for example a sportsteam, a cartoon character, entertainment event, entertainment figure ora movie, wherein said branding indicia is not indicative of a source ofthe non-food item.

While the invention has been described in terms of various specificembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of theclaims.

1. A dual-use product package comprising: a non-food product; anon-rigid base defining a cavity holding said non-food product, saidnon-rigid base being adapted to contain food products once the non-foodproduct is removed from said cavity; a cover configured to close saidcavity; and a closure member fastening said cover to said base.
 2. Aproduct package in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a handleattached to said base.
 3. A product package in accordance with claim 1wherein said base is substantially rectangular.
 4. A product package inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said closure member comprises a zippermechanism.
 5. A product package in accordance with claim 1 wherein saidclosure member is located at or near a top edge of said base.
 6. Aproduct package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cover isintegrally formed with said base, said cover folded over said base in aclosed position.
 7. A product package in accordance with claim 1 whereinsaid non-food product constitutes footwear held in said cavity.
 8. Aproduct package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cavity isadapted for use as a lunchbox.
 9. A product package in accordance withclaim 1 wherein said package includes an expandable section configuredto hold either said non-food product in said cavity or a non-foodproduct different from said non-food product in said cavity.
 10. Aproduct package in accordance with claim 1 wherein the food productsincludes at least one of an edible food, a beverage, a beveragecontainer, an eating utensil, a piece of flatware, a cooling block, anda napkin.
 11. A product package in accordance with claim 1 wherein saidpackage is convertible into a duffel bag.
 12. A product package inaccordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said base and said coveris insulated wherein said package may function as a cooler.
 13. Afootwear package comprising: a support surface; a plurality of soft sidewalls extending from said support surface and defining a cavity forholding footwear above said support surface, wherein at least one ofsaid side walls comprises a flap folded over the remaining side walls todefine a cover over said cavity; and a zipper selectively coupling anduncoupling said flap and said remaining side walls.
 14. A footwearpackage in accordance with claim 13 further comprising a handle.
 15. Afootwear package in accordance with claim 13 wherein at least one ofsaid support surface and said side walls comprises a soft material and astiffening element.
 16. A footwear package in accordance with claim 13wherein said zipper mechanism is located at or near a top edge of saidbase.
 17. A footwear package in accordance with claim 13 furthercomprising footwear in said cavity.
 18. A footwear package in accordancewith claim 13 wherein said cavity is packed with footwear at a point ofpurchase.
 19. A footwear package in accordance with claim 13 whereinsaid cavity is packed with footwear at a first point in time and packedwith lunch items at a second point in time.
 20. A footwear package inaccordance with claim 13 further comprising an expandable section.
 21. Afootwear package in accordance with claim 13 further wherein said baseis convertible into a duffel bag.
 22. A method of reusing a footwearpackage having a base defining a cavity, footwear in the cavity, a coverenclosing the footwear in the cavity, and a zipper engaging the base tothe cover, the method comprising: unpacking the footwear from thepackage; and packing at least one lunch item in the package.
 23. Amethod of reusing a footwear package comprising; packaging footwear in alunchbox.
 24. A method for selling a non-food item in combination with adual-use container, said method comprising: providing a dual-usecontainer having a storage cavity configured to hold separately anon-food item and a food item one at a time; packing a non-food item inthe cavity; presenting the dual-use container in combination with thenon-food item packed therein at a point of purchase; and configuring thedual use container to be reusable such that a purchaser of the dual usecontainer in combination with the non-food item is able to remove thenon-food item without damaging or destroying the dual-use container andrepack the dual-use container with a food item.
 25. The method of claim24 wherein the dual container is formed with a non-rigid base.
 26. Themethod of claim 24 wherein said packing includes closing a zipperconnecting a cover and a base of the dual-use container.
 27. The methodof claim 24, wherein said non-food item constitutes at least one ofclothing, footwear, a toy-related item, a sports-related item, a book, amagazine, a game-related item, an entertainment-related item, and aninfant care-related item.
 28. The method of claim 24 wherein thefood-item constitutes one of an edible food item, a beverage, a beverageholder, utensils, plates, flatware, napkins, condiments, a food warmerand a cooling block,
 29. The method of claim 29 further comprisingproviding indicia on the dual use container, said indicia identifying atleast one of a source of a non-food item and a food item.
 30. The methodof claim 24, further comprising providing branding indicia on the dualuse container identifying the source of a non-food item.
 31. The methodof claim 24, further comprising providing branding indicia on the dualuse container identifying at least one of a sports team, a cartooncharacter, entertainment event, entertainment figure and movie, whereinsaid branding indicia is not indicative of a source of the non-fooditem.